See the film, read the book

Nomadland

She's not going dancing. She's sitting having an early morning cup of tea in her nightdress, as you do when you are camping. You see the sunrise and the sunset and these are beautiful. I look at my favourite YouTube channels documenting people travelling around in self-converted campervans, because I can't travel far these days of Covid. So I was immediately attracted to this film about van dwellers in America.  But there the similarity ends.  Nomadland is about down and out Americans who can't afford to live in a traditional bricks and mortar house on their meagre retirement pensions, so they opt for a life on the road.

Many choose to work as part of CamperForce, an invention of Amazon to fill a staffing gap in their giant "fulfilment centres".  These senior citizens are allowed to park their RV's ("recreational vehicles" - recreational???) in Amazon's giant carparks for free, as long as they work long shifts, day and night, for little pay. The message of this film is very sad, and the situation must be a lot worse now with the pandemic. 

For real detail and insights, go to the book on which it is based, part fiction and part documentary. Just as visiting an abattoir might put you off eating meat forever, reading this might make you think twice about ordering from Amazon (or at least sticking to e-books which by-pass the problem). These warehouses are huge and workers walk miles in a day and return exhausted to their vans afterwards. This takes its toll on elderly limbs, but management have targets to meet, especially in the pre-Christmas period.  Recognising this, Amazon have kindly fixed wall-mounted dispensers offering free over-the-counter painkillers for those suffering from long hours walking up and down concrete floors in the warehouse. They also have paramedics waiting outside in ambulances, ready to extract employees suffering from heat stroke. 

I'm surprised Amazon are still selling this book, given that it is such an exposé of their business practices. Wait, there is the fulfilment centre for Perth just down the road. If I run out of money,  I can apply...

Freo

On a hot day, it’s good to drive to the coast to look for a bit of cooling sea breeze. We drove from City Beach to Fremantle and along to the North Mole. Container ships enter the port of Fremantle at this point:

Looking out to sea

Looking back towards Fremantle

Container ship accompanied by 2 tugs

The ship is registered in Majuro. If you've never heard of this place, it's on a small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

There are miles and miles of these containers in the port.

Time for F and C for lunch at Kailis.
The blue boats are part of their prawning fleet.

Fragments of a Camino Part 5

Thursday 6 Oct

Jason and Ria had now departed and we met our local guide, Margarena, at 10.00 am for a tour of the Cathedral precincts and the church itself. We went inside the old university quadrangle. It all culminated in the special Pilgrims' Mass at 12.00 o'clock. We were advised to secure a place well in advance in the transept, in order to see the swinging of the Botofumiero.  This was impressive, but it was somewhat smaller than I had imagined and it didn't fill the church with as much incense as I had been expecting. In the old days, pilgrims actually slept in the church (men downstairs and women upstairs) so the incense helped to purify the air.

After Mass, everyone was reluctant to disperse, but 3 of us were booked in for a special degustation lunch at Casa Marcelo, said to be the best restaurant in town.

As we were still fairly full from the night before, we chose the shorter menu for 45 Euros, together with a bottle of local white wine, selected by the Maitre D.  We were most impressed by the menu which came on an iPad: a real bit of one-upmanship! We also received a souvenir copy to take away:

Friday 7 Oct

This was our day at the end of the world! Unlike many pilgrims who walk the last bit to the sea, four of us travelled in comfort to Finisterra in a hired Volkswagen Golf. It cost 101 Euros for the day. The others (Barbara, Lesley and Mac) were happy for me to drive and treated me to lunch at O Fragón in return. Of course, this meant I couldn't enjoy a drink!

The roads were extremely well made and well signposted, through pine and eucalyptus woods. It was good to feel the sea air on arrival, but the cool sea breeze was distinctly chilly and we didn't burn our clothes as the medieval pilgrims were said to do. We visited a small maritime museum in the Castle of San Carlos.

Coming back was a bit of a nightmare as it proved virtually impossible to find the way into the town centre to the car hire place. In the end I had to abandon the car in a carpark and walk back to the office; they were not best pleased. It was Jason who had recommended hiring a car, but my advice would be to use public transport in future. Bus drivers know the way!

Postscript

One day I might locate the photos for this trip, but a search of the house has not revealed them. Are they on some superseded electronic device? There is a lesson here, as technology moves so fast. I remember Allison carried an iPad with her every day which she whipped out of her bag and took photos on the trail. She entertained us every evening with a slide show. I bought myself an iPad when I got home, but of course its contents began too late.

Transcribing my diary has been a useful way to spend the dead days after Christmas, when it's too hot to be outside. Many people believe that a group tour is not a real Camino, but for me it was a chance to see how far I could walk day after day (albeit with only a small day pack to carry). It also enabled me to feel confident that I could walk the Camino on my own without getting lost. Navigation is not one of my skills!  I returned to do bits of the Camino (and also parts of the French and Portuguese routes) year after year till Covid put a stop to my travels. 

 

Fragments of a Camino Part 3

Thursday 29 Sept

Today there was no entry in my diary: I must have been too exhausted to write anything! Fortunately, I can refer to the trip notes on the itinerary supplied by Fresco:

The day of the difficult decision! What to do? The Camino de Santiago has 2 paths to reach Sarria. Do we take the path through San Xil and enjoy the beautiful views atop the ridge, or visit the ancient monastery of Samos along the river valley? Traditionally, pilgrims would have to choose one or the other. We, however, get to do both! By day we take in the scenery from above and in the evening we'll hop in the van to visit one of Spain's oldest monasteries and listen to the singing of the evening payers, vespers. Walking: 19 kms.

Image from Galician tourism brochure

Friday 30 Sept

We had the option of a drop-off at the 3 km mark, which avoided a steepish climb out of Sarria. As it was going to be a 23 km day, I thought it a wise move. Everyone else was determined to walk every step of the way - or maybe they thought they might get lost away from the group. 

We are staying tonight in a beautifully converted rectory which is literally right on the Camino. The restoration is worthy of Grand Designs, using the original stonework with lots of new wood and glass. Nancy and I have been fortunate enough to get one of the best rooms, with a sitting area and a spa bath.

Autumn in Galicia is wonderful: though the hot sunny weather is not the norm. Blackberries abound on all the lanes; walnuts and acorns fall on our heads as we walk along. All the books on the Camino complain of miserable rainy and windy conditions in this part of Spain, but for us it has been too hot if anything. The only thing that keeps us going is the long gourmet picnic provided every day by Ria and Jason, which includes wine, beer and luscious salads. 

Because of my 3 km drop-off, I saw many more "real pilgrims" today, since they always make a much earlier start than we do. This was quite interesting, as the same faces kept popping up. We passed the significant 100km mark, which is the minimum you need to obtain the Compostela in Santiago. There was quite a traffic jam there, as people got others to take their photos.

The last stretch down into Portomarin was very steep and hard on the knees. One person in our group even tried walking backwards for a bit. At the bottom we crossed a dam wall on the road bridge into town. The dam had been drained temporarily so that work could be done on it. We could clearly see Roman remains as well as the site of the original town of Portomarin. Some buildings had been moved in the 1950's to a higher position, including the Romanesque Church (stone by numbered stone). For us, the last straw was a really steep set of steps into town. We had a welcome G and T at the first bar we came across!

Saturday 1 October

Another hot day!  We started off with a lecture from Jason about Romanesque churches. He showed us the main entrance to the reconstructed church from below the dam; the right hand step is worn because it leads to Heaven, as opposed to the "sinister" side leading to Hell. 

There was a long walk up out of Portomarin, mostly along the road but partly in shady pinewoods. I was longing for a coffee which was not scheduled till 12.00 o'clock. Then Jason offered the option of a "short" detour to see an Iron Age Hill Fort (Castromaior).  I decided that the day's 19 km walk on the Camino was enough, and I had seen plenty of these hill forts in England anyway. I proceeded alone for the next 3 or 4 kms to a nice shady spot at the 77 km mark, where Ria was waiting patiently with lunch, and warding off passing pilgrims who wanted a free taste!

After lunch it was another hot 7 kms walk right to our hotel at Lestedo. A group of 4 Spanish people arrived, hoping for a bed and were disappointed to discover that we had booked the place out; they had to call a taxi to take them to the next town. We went out for dinner at a nearby Parillada for an excellent BBQ of ribs and sausages, preceded by many different roasted veggies (eggplants, courgettes, tomatoes, mushrooms, fried lettuce hearts and grilled cheese). It was hard to find room for dessert, but we succumbed to peaches in red wine!

Sunday 2 October

We were able to walk straight out of our hotel onto the Camino, with no bus transfer needed. Breakfast was at 8.00 am so we were able to make an early start as the sun was coming up over the hills. Walking in the first light of day in the cool of the morning was lovely. However, my blisters began to play up as the day got hotter. We heard it was 30 degrees!

I was almost the last on the track, as most people hurried on to Melide where there was a Sunday market and the lure of special octopus restaurants (pulperia). Long queues had formed outside these as we entered the town. I had already eaten an early lunch at Casa de Somoza (half a tortilla and salad) which Dan and Terry had been unable to finish. I polished it off in no time! There was such a thing as a free lunch after all.

I was pretty hot when I reached Melide at 2.30 pm and collapsed outside Bar Chaplin for a beer and a flan, before going to a rather sleazy Internet cafe to send an email home. A short drive in the bus took us to our historic Pazo, which had a vine covered courtyard with small black grapes, plus the luxury of a swimming pool. The water was cold, once you had taken the plunge, it felt good!

Fragments of a Camino Part 4

Monday 3 Oct

An easy day: only 15 kms, with a swim and a massage to look forward to at the Pazo.

(This was the extent of my diary entry for the day, so I'm again resorting to Fresco's itinerary notes).

Half way to our destination! We leave Melide on small country roads and wooded footpaths and wind our way across the Galician countryside. Along the Camino, we should stop in at Boente and have a look at the tiny Church of Santiago and its simple wooden altarpiece. After this short day walk, we arrive in Arzua, where you should try some of the famous local cow cheese. Once we regroup, we head back to the hotel for a shower and a siesta. Tonight is your free night for dinner, where we encourage you to try some of the local gastronomy from our hotel's menu!

Tuesday 4 Oct

A hard day: 23 kms, but no hard up and down bits. We left the Pazo at 8.45 am to return to yesterday's finish spot in Arzua. We did 16 kms before lunch, though we had 2 stops for coffee, croissants and aqua con gas, which kept us going till lunch in the woods at 2.00 pm near Santa Irene. I walked mostly on my own through oak woods and then some plantations of eucalyptus, including some blue gum.

The 6 kms to do after lunch was rather trying and I was very thirsty in the heat of the afternoon sun. Every stone marking the kms to Santiago was significant. Our walking destination was a bar which was about to close, but remained open to serve Allison. Then Larry called up Jason and me, bringing up the rear, to take our orders for drinks before they did close! Then a waiter came out, a Spaniard with a North of England accent, who had lived 18 years of his life in Scarborough.

Wednesday 5 Oct

Today we finally made it to Santiago: hot and tired but in a mood for celebration! We started out at around 9.30 am and walked 10 kms fairly quickly to Lavacolla (meaning "wash tail"), where early pilgrims gave their bodies a thorough wash in the stream before arriving in Santiago. We walked right past the airport, where the end of the runway loomed above us on top of a huge embankment, fenced in behind a high wire into which pilgrims had stuck wooden crosses.

We were asked to regroup at Monte do Gozo (meaning "mountain of joy") where pilgrims normally got their first glimpse of the twin towers of Santiago Cathedral. Today, there is an enormous modern sculpture, put up to mark the visit of Pope John Paul. The place was packed with bus loads of tourists who swarmed around as we tried to get to the Church for our stamp. Some other people enviously eyed the food set out for our lunch and were finally given some of our leftovers!

Artist's impression of the Cathedral seen from afar

The walk into town after lunch in the hot afternoon sun seemed to go on forever, as we passed more and more modern suburbs. At last we followed the brass shells in the pavement to the old part of town, through an arch where a Galician bagpiper was playing, and into the huge square in front of the Cathedral. Everyone stood in the centre of the square, hugging and congratulating each other on the achievement. Allison's boyfriend, the fireman from Texas Search and Rescue, was right there waiting for her - a man who had never been out of the USA before!

Jason led us to the Pilgrim's Office, where a queue wound its way up the stairs to the counters manned by 4 officials, checking the passports and handing out the compostellas. After another celebratory G and T (slightly more expensive in this town at 7.50 Euros), we made our way to our hotel, the Virxe da Cerca. Bliss: a room to myself, as Nancy's husband was to arrive from the US later in the evening.

We all went out to dinner for a huge meal of local specialities. The restaurant was packed, but the amount of food defeated us. Late to bed!

O Dezaseis Restaurant

Fragments of a Camino Part 2

Monday 26 Sept

(I stayed at the Parador, like the people in the film: Martin Sheen Movie "The Way")

After breakfast I went straight to San Isidoro to see the 12th century frescos:

There were many religious scenes, but most interesting of all was the Calendaria Agricola showing peasants' tasks for each month of the year. The first picture above includes September  (picking grapes) and October (feeding acorns to the pig - who gets killed in November).

Then it was on to the Cathedral with its magnificent stained glass: the best I have ever seen. I found the Posada Regia for tomorrow's meeting with the Fresco Tours Group at 2.30 pm. I asked if I could look round the historic hotel. It was full of atmosphere, with wobbly staircases, quaint rooms but rather hot, I thought. I had lunch in a wine bar in Calle del Cid: a big salad and a glass of rosé, then back to my hotel for a siesta. I took a walk later over the bridge across the Ria Bernesga and on the way back I noticed that the Parador had a lovely shady terrace garden, so I went inside for a coffee and a long sit down.

Returning to my room, I found that American Nancy (my room-mate allocated by Fresco) had just arrived. We strolled over to the Posada Regia, which opened for dinner at 8.45 pm. We were joined by Maureen from Ireland, who was walking the last part of the Camino on her own, having done it in stages over the last 5 years.

Tuesday 27 Sept

We packed up at the Parador and transported our luggage over to the Posada. I went back for a last look at the Cathedral's stained glass and did a quick tour of the cloisters and extensive museum. At 2.30 pm we met up with our fellow walkers and received a briefing from Ria and Jason, our guides, who presented us with a dilly bag full of goodies and information about the Camino. We then set off in the 21-seater bus for a 2 hour trip to the drop-off point, with a brief stop at a motorway service place for refreshments half way.

The driver (with Ria navigating) had difficulty finding the exact drop-off, a tiny village called Faba. (Jason had gone ahead driving the second vehicle). The 4 km walk up to the village of O'Cebreiro was very steep and hard going at the fast pace set by those in front. We were also afraid that it would come dark before we had reached our destination. All was well, as we arrived at 7.55 pm, just in time to get our pilgrims' passport stamped by a monk in the Church, 9th Century, and the oldest extant church on the Camino.

Our accommodation was in a renovated house San Giraldo and we enjoyed a delicious meal cooked by Pilar, whose family had been feeding pilgrims for generations:  Galician Soup with kale grown locally, tortilla with green salad, beef stew, hazelnut tart and non-stop red wine.

Wednesday 28 Sept

After a lovely breakfast, which included soft cheese and honey, and some stretching exercises led by Jason, we all set off at our own pace on the steady ascent to the Alto do Poio, the highest point of the Camino in Galicia. I managed to do 21 kms today, without blisters but with much bodily stiffness.

Lunch was laid out for us on arrival at Viduedo, after which it started to rain on us for the long descent into Triacastela. We had a beer and some raspberries at Bar Río, and then got transported by bus to Pazo Torre de Barrio near Sarria.

Enjoying a coffee near the Alto do Poio

Fragments of a Camino

Fragments of a Camino  with Fresco Tours in 2011

New artwork by EB.
An ubiquitous Camino waymarker.

This is based on my header photo.
It shows a vineyard just before Villafranca del Bierzo

(These fragments are copied from a written diary, kept very intermittently during a busy schedule on a group tour, and include photos of tickets and bills which had been pasted in).

Thursday 22 Sept

(The first few days were on my own, visiting Bilbao and Burgos, before joining the group from Fresco Tours in Leon).

I enjoyed a lovely breakfast on the roof terrace. The Gran Domine Hotel lived up to all expectations, in a prime position just opposite the Guggenheim.  I went by tram to the bus station to book a ticket for Burgos for tomorrow at 11.00 am. Then, back by tram to spend a couple of hours in the Guggenheim. After that, I took the tram in the opposite direction to visit the old town for a lunch of tapas and two glasses of red wine. This was followed by a long siesta!

At 6.00 pm I strolled around the outside of the Guggenheim, taking photos from all angles. Most people say the outside architecture is more interesting than what is inside and I would agree. Later I walked to the old town again to visit the Cathedral de Santiago.  This was followed by a Hamburguesa back in the hotel Cafe Metropole.

Friday 23 September

The bus left for Burgos at 11.00 am. It took 2 hours, on the motorway throughout. We passed one Veterano Osborne bull on the hillside (so reminiscent of Spanish holidays in my 20’s) and many fields of sunflowers not yet harvested. On arrival, I immediately booked a ticket for Sunday for Leon, the only afternoon departure being 16.30.

It seemed very hot in Burgos after the cloudy conditions in Bilbao. The Hotel Meson del Cid was easy to find by heading towards the spires of the Cathedral towering over everything else. Unfortunately my room was in the annexe and didn’t have a view. I should have asked for one. After lunch in a tapas bar, I did a tour of the Cathedral. It was amazing to be surrounded by such history; I feel deprived living in Australia! The intricate carvings, in both wood and stone, were amazing.

After a long siesta in my room, I set off to walk around, but was soon tempted by a little red tourist train that took in the main sights. This was not a comfortable trip because of bumpy cobbles, but it provided a good orientation.

I had dinner in the Meson del Cid Restaurant:

Ensalada del Meson, Cordero Asado Lechal de Burgos and two glasses of red.

Saturday 24 September

I had a delicious breakfast in the hotel, with a window table, watching the sun rise behind the Cathedral. Then I set off to visit the Monastery de las Huelgas, about 30 minutes walk west along the river. I met a group of nuns walking briskly towards the Cathedral for their religious devotions. The Monastery was founded by Eleanor of Aquitaine, daughter of Henry II of England, who married Alfonso VIII of Castile. I had to join a guided tour in Spanish. The highlight was the museum of royal costumes from the 13th Century, which had all been discovered in the tombs of numerous kings and queens buried there. I had never seen such a selection of early royal garments. Eleanor's leather shoes were there and her embroidered overdress. Her coffin lid reminded us of her dates: 1156 - 1214.

Afterwards, it was a short walk to the Hospital del Rey, one of the most famous hospitals on the pilgrimage route, now part of the Faculty of Law of Burgos University. I took a photo of the doors to the Church, showing scenes of pilgrims en route. I noted that a British PhD recipient, Geoffrey Parker in MMX, had made a comparison of Spanish and Anglo-Saxon history.

On returning to Burgos, I found the Cathedral Square was packed with a wedding party just leaving from the side door. All the women were wearing the most elegant costumes imaginable. I was trying to line up a photo of the bride and groom in the doorway of the Cathedral, when all hell broke loose: firecrackers going off and explosions of confetti and rose petals. I jumped away in terror, as I seemed to be in the line of fire from a row of connected firecrackers: a Spanish custom that was new to me!

Later in the day, I came across several more wedding parties posing for photos, reminiscent of my Saturday in St Petersburg a few years ago. I had dinner again at the Meson del Cid. The couple at the next table ordered the speciality of the house for entree: Boletus Edulis which turned out to be a huge plateful of mushrooms.

Sunday 25 September

I checked out of Meson del Cid and set off eastwards along the river to visit the Cartuja de Miraflores, 4.5 kms away (a nice practice walk for me). It was a lovely sunny morning, but cool early on. Lots of locals were out exercising on their favourite footpath. The Cartuja wasn't signposted and so I walked right past the turnoff. When I finally asked two Spanish women the way, they insisted on taking me there and set off back along the highway at such a brisk pace, I could hardly keep up with them!

The Cartuja was interesting, especially the ornate marble tombs and the huge carved wooden reredos screen, gilded with gold from the first shipment from the New World. I bought a small bottle of Green Chartreuse, made by the Cistercian monks in France. This should sustain me on the trail! 

I arrived back in Burgos at 1.00 pm, having walked over 10 kms in all.  I had a welcome beer and a tortilla tapas at the Ribera Bar in the square, then took a short rest in the hotel lounge before catching the 16.30 bus for Leon. The trip took 2 hours.

ALSA bus routes.

to be continued...

Hot hot hot

Christmas Day is too hot for words!  No eating lunch in the garden as we usually do. On the menu:

Blinis with caviar 

Crayfish with rice salad and beetroot

Mince tarts and Creme Brûlée Tea

Cherries.

Crayfish are a bargain this year, since China is not importing any and usually they take 95% of our catch. Kailis were doing good business yesterday, moving massive amounts of them in record time. They have a 36 hour marathon before Christmas, selling all night.

C googled how to prepare them and twisted off the shells with expert precision.

E and I laboured over a hot stove to make the blinis.

I bought the mince tarts from the bakery in Mundaring and they were better than I could have made!

Rocky received a raccoon for Christmas. He is very possessive of it:

You can hide a treat inside its body.

23 December 2020

We head home tomorrow after our mini holiday in York. The temperatures have been steadily rising and Christmas Eve is forecast to be 40 degrees. That’s pretty damned hot! We began the day with an early morning swim in the municipal pool, a really nice amenity for locals and visitors alike:

My next appointment was with the Dentist. I broke a big lump of tooth whilst eating muesli for breakfast, which left two sharp spikes irritating the side of my tongue. I was lucky enough to find a dentist who could just file down the edges a little, so that I can survive till my regular Perth dentist can see me in the New Year. This lovely Indian lady refused to charge me as it only took a few minutes. Unheard of!

Here are a few more pics from Avon Terrace, the Main Street in York:

Read the small print at this hotel!

Back at Hillside, a few extra pics:

The biggest moonflower cactus I’ve ever seen. This is in the garden of the Homestead, an area which has seen better days.  There is one guy who seems to be caretaker cum odd job man. He lives in a caravan constructed from two buses welded together, next to our bungalow. Every morning his brother comes in from York to help him do a bit of work, with the emphasis on “bit”. They both wear lumberjack shirts whatever the weather and start the day by walking their dog down the track. I have seen them painting the sign Hillview in black and white, and distributing mulch round some of the flowerbeds, but that seems to be the extent of their labours.

The dam seems very low.

Our verandah is nice just before the sun goes down...

... but three mozzie coils are not enough!

Mount Brown and more

There is a lookout above York which gives a panoramic view of the area. This was the first stop on our morning jaunt. E spent some time setting up her IPhone for a photoshoot:

This is a shot looking back towards our accommodation at Hillside:

Back in town I took a few pics of the historic buildings:

The Imperial Hotel was built in 1886, taking advantage of the railway which reached the town in 1885.


Street scene near sweet shop.